Dream Beach House/Party in Taidong/Biggest Spider...Ever!

Helloooooo everyone! (Or as they say it here, Ni hao!)

 Here's the recap:

Monday

     After the crazy eight-mile bike ride and emails, we got a call from a member to help another part-member family "move." We thought, ok, we will just be moving boxes and what not. So this member drove us over the mountain to a veerryy beautiful beach house! It turns out the moving was just dragging a heavy-waterlogged log that washed ashore up the steep hillside to their house. We then stayed inside their house, drinking some juice the wife made, having Elders Budd and Carson chat about Dou Terra Oils (one used to work there and his companion likes their products),admiring their antiques and very beautiful view from the window. Man, they are some of the most blessed people in the world to have a view like that! 

Tuesday

     We went up to Reisui  (20-min train ride up north)

Youzi (Pomello)

and taught English class. Our topic:  hobbies.  It was fun, our students are awesome! One gives us a bunch of youzi's (pomellos, a type of fruit) every week, so we have a bunch in our apartmemt, since nobody wants them. They're pretty good. 

Wednesday

     On this night, we had our English class in Yuli. Only Jackie and two little kids came. We usually have more, but it was a blessing to have Jackie only come. We were able to sit and talk to him. He's pretty unsatisfied with his life, he only works and drinks since there's not much else to do here in Yuli. He saw a friend change, and he want's to change as well. We talked to him, and now he will start meeting with the elders. So exciting!

Thursday

     This is where the fun begins! We got up at 4:30 to get ready to catch a 6am train to Taidong, which is south of us for interviews with President Jergensen and zone conference the next day, which meant SLEEPOVER WITH THE TAIDONG SISTERS!!!  :) It was crazy!  We had to cram eight sisters in a four- sister apartment (the Sister Training Leaders had to come too), with only two bathrooms and one shower. Interviews with President were so good. He is super amazing, it was great to see him! He flew down here and will take the train to Hualian (up north a bit) to do more interviews. While he did the interviews, the Assistants trained on how to get member referrals. One Assistant served here in Yuli last year, and told the story of how he set up a blue tub (the baptismal font), left the water running and told the sisters to keep an eye on it while he and his companion ran to get food, but then got a call from the sisters saying it overflowed and broke, flooding the chapel,  water leaking into the internet cafe downstairs and destroyed everything (the internet cafe is still closed to this day, the only one here in town). We also did anmah (grandma) exercises to keep us awake, which included slapping our arms (Taiwanese believe that doing so breaks the blood vessels, which brings more blood to an area which brings better circulation). 

     After interviews, we went with President to get Peanut Butter burgers (I got a chicken teriyaki instead since I'm kinda tired of burgers). I then went with two other sisters to do a lesson with them; then English boarding at a night market.  

     Last Sunday before church, right at the intersection at the church, the Taidong Zone leaders saw a guy in his 30's riding a motor scooter in front of them get hit by a truck (either the guy or the truck ran a red light). The Taidong sisters I was with on exchanges later in the week were in the church parking lot at that time and kind of saw it. They all ran over to the guy that was hit. They said the guy didn't have a helmet on, and blood was gushing everywhere. They tried everything and called an ambulance (the Taiwan emergency number is 119), but he apparently died on the spot. The Zone Leaders and Taidong sisters were shaken and couldn't function at church or the rest of that Sunday, but they seemed to be kind of okay now. I think they are all still shaken, especially since it was brought up when I was there (and you could still see the bent pole where the truck hit at the 7/11 across the street from the church). I am grateful for their example of keep moving forward, even after seeing some scary things. 

Friday

     On Friday morning, we got up, got ready for zone conference and walked over to the church. We talked about being shepherds instead of hirelings and how to have more faith in the zone.  It reminded me of the song "Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd," which was randomly brought up in a talk at the MTC. I really love the lyrics and how we all are the Under Shepherds to help bring souls to Christ. We then had lunch, which included shaved ice with mangoes and sweetened condensed milk poured on top (the Taidong missionaries just called the lady who owned it and she opened up the shop for us missonaries). 

 

     We also met a fun, crazy couple the other night with their one year old son. We hope we can progress with them. 

     We went home and later that night, I saw a HUGE

SPIDER outside of our door to our room.  My

companion, after taking some pics, made me go kill it, because she couldn't do it. I'm not kidding, it was as big as my hand. It was hard, but I finally was able to get a broom on it and smash it with a dustpan, and finalized it by stepping on the dustpan to hear it crunch. We then flushed it down the toilet, it was so big it had a hard time going down. We later showed pictures to our member who works at a mortuary, and she was like, "Those are good spiders, they eat mosquitoes." 

Saturday

     We were able to have a lesson with Ding JM. She set a baptismal date for December 17! I am so excited, she is super solid! She just needs to  overcome some issues, but she is doing great! God is definitely helping her!

Sunday

     We had church in our branch which was great. We learned later that night that the Elders got a phone call from an office elder, that they needed to buy one train ticket immediately to Taipei, with no explanation, and that President Jergensen will call and explain later. Those moments are super intense, waiting for President to call back. Later that night, after branch mission meeting, President called them, but Elder Budd accidentally dropped the phone after President asked how he was doing(which is so sad and funny). He then quickly put the phone back together, and found out that Elder Carson was going to Taipei today (a week and a half or so before transfers), and that Elder Budd will have a new companion. We don't know why these emergency transfers are happening, but we trust that they are for the best. We are happy for Elder Carson (he's been here since July since he started here, it was hot when he came, he had a Taiwanese companion he didn't know English for three weeks, and it's honestly a kind of rougher area with not a lot of people including other missionaries), but sad to see him go so suddenly. He'll do great though. 

Spiritual lesson:

     I was finally able to get my other suitcase at Zone Meeting (I've been waiting for it since October 7th). Turns out the moving company in Xinzhu said they would pick it up on Friday, Saturday came and went and still hadn't picked it up, so the Assistants had to drive all the way down from Taipei to Xinzhu, probably and hour or two car ride, get my suitcase, go back to Taipei, and send it down with the Zone Leaders after they went to the Mission Leadership Conference they have to train them and the Sister Training Leaders on Zone meetings. Since rarely any missionaries go up to Taipei if they live in Hualian or Taidong (3-4 train ride one way up, pretty expensive), they bring a lot of mail and other stuff from the mission office down for the other missionaries. My suitcase had some books so it was kind of heavy. I was super grateful for them being willing to bring my heavy suitcase on a four- hour train ride down so that I could have it. It wasn't easy for them, but they did it. I bought them candy bars later as a thank you.   It made me appreciate their sacrifice and willingness to serve me without complaint. 

     I am grateful for the Savior's example, and that we can all learn from him. It's amazing, we become better people through his example and we help others because of His example, just like the zone leaders were willing to bring my suitcase because of Christ's selfless example. 

Also some quotes I like-  

     "Make everyday the best day of your life."- on a random photo album cover

     "One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes."- Little Prince, from Pres. Uchtdorf, Oct 2016 talk "Fourth Floor, Last Door"

     Love you all! Have an awesome week!

-Sister Brinkerhoff